Ontario sees surge in problem gambling and suicide after online casino rollout

Data released by the Alberta Gambling Research Institute indicate that Ontario’s problem-gambling prevalence has climbed sharply since private online casino platforms opened in 2022, reaching nearly 130,000 individuals compared with about 43,000 four years earlier. The province’s chief coroner notes a three-fold increase in gambling-related suicides, moving from an average of five per year (2016-2021) to roughly fifteen after the policy change.

Researchers attribute the trend to the removal of geographic and time barriers, allowing people to gamble from computers or phones at any hour, and to pervasive advertising. Hospital emergency departments have reported more distress calls, and the ConnexOntario helpline saw a 95.5 % rise in calls from men and boys over the past decade. Critics say the government ignored earlier warnings about potential harms and have called for stronger monitoring and a share of gambling revenues to fund independent research.